A conversation about immigrant identity at The Gables Feb. 6

February 6 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

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SALEM — On Wednesday, February 6, from 6 to 8 p.m., The House of the Seven Gables presents the third in a timely and thought-provoking series of six Community Conversations on current immigration issues against the backdrop of America’s immigration history.

The evening begins with the screening of a Steve James documentary about the Nwidors, a family that fled Nigeria due to military oppression. Israel, a former chemical engineer, his wife, Ngozi, and their two children waited for years in a refugee camp in Benin before resettling in Chicago. For them, the American Dream was hard-won. They worked at low-paying jobs in hotels while contending with expectations to send money home to Nigeria. Vacillating between hope and despair, they open a window into their complicated endeavor.

Scholar Elizabeth Duclos-Orsello, Ph.D., will lead a discussion at the conclusion of the screening. The evening’s presentation is open to the public and it is free of charge.

The Gables is one of 32 sites around the country to present this six-part series that was conceived and organized by City Lore in collaboration with the Immigration and Ethnic History Society and the International Coalition of the Sites of Conscience. The series is funded by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Both Salem State University and the North Shore Community Development Coalition have partnered with The Gables to help make this series possible.

“The idea behind the series is to provide opportunities for a wide range of people to come together to understand the dynamic and complicated histories of people,” says Dr. Duclos-Orsello. “We want to have structured, civic and civil dialogues using the documentary films as a springboard.”